After tallying four top five finishes last fall, the No. 12 Aggies tallied their first team victory of the season with a two-stroke victory over runner-up Florida. Texas A&M carded a final round 6-under par 274, which was the low round of the day, to hold off the Gators and finish the tournament at 13-under par (281-272-274=827). The Aggies and Gators were the only two teams in the field to be under par for the tournament.
Four Aggies posted under-par rounds on Tuesday to get the Aggies to 6-under for the day with senior Dan Erickson and junior Walker Lee leading the way with 2-under 68s. Also under par were sophomore Sam Bennett and freshman Jimmy Lee with 1-under 69s. The Aggies separated from the Gators on the back nine when Erickson and Walker Lee combined to tally eight birdies in a five-hole span on holes 12-16.
Big day on the links for @RickykCastillo as he captured his first collegiate title and the Gators took home second at the Sea Best Invitational 🐊🐊
— Gators Golf (@GatorsGolf) February 4, 2020
Final Round Recap » https://t.co/PtzKW852VN#GoGators
On the individual leaderboard, Florida freshman Ricky Castillo captured his first collegiate title by three shots over teammate John Axelsen.
Castillo was flawless from the jump despite the imminent pressure from the field all day. The freshman carded a clean 5-under 65 through the final round, securing a first-place finish at 9 under overall. Castillo's 65 is also a new career low.
Axelsen took second place individually behind another steady performance. The Denmark native sunk six birdies through his final 18 holes, signing a 2 under on the day to end with a 5 under total. Axelsen's runner-up performance marks his third top-10 finish of the season and seventh of his career.
- Thanks to Texas A&M and Florida men's golf for this report.